Looking for parking when in a vehicle, especially when parking on a street in a crowded city, can be a daunting and challenging task. There may be few parking spots available as there may be many vehicles already parked, and/or many spots with restricted parking, such as spots near school or loading zones or fire hydrants. In addition, certain spots may allow parking only at certain times of the day. Also, when there is an available spot, the spot might be too small for a first vehicle and/or a second vehicle may get to and take the spot before the first vehicle. Obstructions in the road (e.g., snow, construction, etc.) can further limit availability of parking spots.
Parking between vehicles with a small distance between the vehicles typically requires many repetitive movements in forward and backward directions before the vehicle being parked is placed in position between the other vehicles. The process of fitting a vehicle between other vehicles can be time consuming and may lead to damage to one more already parked vehicles, or to the vehicle being parked, due to bumping during the parking maneuvers.
Accordingly, there is a need for systems and methods which aid drivers with finding and securing parking spots for their vehicle so as to minimize the time to park a vehicle.